Google+, or rather, Google-- at the moment

[tahnan]

Someone has decided to share his Google+ posts with me. That's terribly kind of him. However, since I'm not in fact on Google+, this amounts to my having been put on someone's mailing list against my will—and I can't even reply to him, since all the mail comes from a "noreply" address at plus.google.com.

There's "unsubscribe" info at the bottom, but, seriously, I'm supposed to unsubscribe from a mailing list I never joined? What the hell? (In any other email, that would count as a spammer trying to verify my address.)

My feelings about Google+ have tilted from "slightly positive, because hey it's not Facebook" to "markedly negative, because seriously you guys are helping a user spam me?". Is there some sensible way to make this stop, perhaps by emailing some support address at Google to say "so when did you turn evil"?

Comments

[colorwheel]

yeah, that's obnoxious.

[(Anonymous)]

I have exactly the same problem with a particular friend, but now that I've joined Google+, it's gotten a little bit better, but I suspect that's just because he sends fewer messages.

But yes, it is evil.

--Jeffurry

[janne]

I suspect the fastest way is to use that unsubscribe link rather than wait for g+ to be changed. But if it's any comfort, the subject has been raised on the forums for google+ already, so one can hope notice is being taken. (I like g+, but really wish that emailing non-google contacts was turned off by default, rather than on. I think I may have spammed people unwittingly with my two first posts until I found the button to turn email off...)

[(Anonymous)]

Emailing G+ friends IS turned off by default; you have to specifically click a box to include them. I'm betting they imported their whole address book. I'd say the best (and least passive-aggressive) thing to do is to just ask them to remove you from their circles. Barring that, you could easily set up an email filter.

...unless I'm the culprit. In which case I apologize, and don't you want to read my shimmeringly brilliant prose?!?

- Kevin

[tahnan]

The problem was that, since it was a rather occasional contact, I didn't actually have any way of contacting him. (As it happens, he sent mail to a mailing list we're on not long after, so I was in fact able to email him and ask to be removed.)

And, er, I wasn't trying to be passive-aggressive; I don't think said user reads this blog, either. (So no, not you. Your prose shimmers.)